FACT-Finder, a website usability specialist based in Germany, has devised what it claims could be a system to see off the threat of Google in travel search.
Known as FACT-Finder Travel, the tool is a semantic search system targeting online travel agents which allows consumers to enter free text during search queries, including spelling mistakes, slang and abbreviations.
The company hopes the improved usability will help switch online travel agencies to its solution.
The system interprets what users are looking for and populates search criteria boxes with the correct information.
FACT-Finder has been working with ecommerce sites from other sectors for some time but decided to extend into travel because of what it claims is a general poor user experience.
During a usability test on five German OTAs, the company found semantic search reduced clicks to input all the travel information from an average of 16 with conventional search to two for semantic.
Time taken to input details was also reduced from an average of just over one minute to 22 seconds.
The company is offering what it describes as an innovative commercial model whereby companies only pay if they see improved conversion rates.
The intuitive technology has already been implemented by German OTA, weg.de.
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